Los Angeles, CA (Sports Network) - Adrian Gonzalez and Scott Van Slyke each stroked solo shots, and Stephen Fife earned his first career victory, as the Los Angeles Dodgers edged the San Diego Padres, 2-1, Monday in the opener of a three-game series at Dodgers Stadium.
Fife (1-0) was called upon to make a spot start for Chris Capuano, who's battling a left triceps cramp that forced him out of his last start. Fife did just enough to earn the win, striking out five and scattering five hits and a walk over 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball.
Three LA relievers combined on 2 2/3 scoreless frames before Brandon League worked around a one-out walk in the ninth to notch his 12th save.
Yasiel Puig, ranked the Dodgers' top prospect by MLB.com, went 2-for-4 in his major league debut with Los Angeles, which had lost four of its last five coming into the game.
Chase Headley knocked in the lone San Diego run, while starter Eric Stults (4-5), who was a 2002 draft pick of the Dodgers, allowed two runs on six hits over seven frames to absorb the loss against his former club.
Puig was recalled from Double-A Chattanooga before the game to help the injury riddled Dodgers, as outfielder Carl Crawford joined center fielder Matt Kemp on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain.
The 22-year-old Cuban defector made an immediate impact out of the leadoff hole, looping a single into shallow center field in the Dodgers' first turn at the plate.
Puig was erased from the basepaths when Nick Punto grounded into a double play, but Gonzalez followed with a towering fly ball over the right-field wall to make it 1-0.
Van Slyke, who was called on to start in left field for Crawford, made the most of the opportunity by launching a leadoff blast in the second to double LA's edge.
San Diego sliced the lead in half in the sixth when Alexi Amarista clubbed a one-out double before scoring on Headley's single to right to make it 2-1.
Peter Moylan then replaced Fife on the mound and served up a single to Jedd Gyorko, but got Chris Denorfia to ground into an inning-ending double play to escape the threat.
After LA's bullpen kept the Padres at bay from there, Puig put an exclamation point on his big league debut with a game-ending double play.
League issued a one-out walk in the ninth before getting Kyle Banks to fly out deep to right field. Puig made the catch on the warning track and then fired a strike to first base to double-up Denorfia.
Game Notes
Stults played four seasons with the Dodgers (2006-09) and went 8-10 with a 4.84 earned run average ... Puig is the first Dodger to have a multi-hit game in his MLB debut since catcher Russell Martin on May 5, 2006 ... LA had lost five straight home games to the Padres ... Fife was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque before the game.
